House deans criticize frosh-only dorm plan

Several house deans are speaking out against the prospect of freshman-only dorms at Penn.

One week after students recommended sweeping changes for the College House system to University administrators, officials from some of Penn's smaller dorms say the suggestions ignore the unique qualities their college houses offer.

The proposal came from the Undergraduate Assembly Steering Committee, which includes student leaders from groups such as the Undergraduate Assembly Housing Committee and the Residential Advisory Board. They suggested that the University create more freshman-oriented housing by increasing the percentage of freshman rooms in the Quadrangle, Hill College House and Kings Court/English House.

The plan would also limit the number of freshman rooms in DuBois and Gregory college houses and eliminate freshman rooms in Hamilton and Harnwell college houses.

Deans from Stouffer and Gregory college houses said they think that the recommendations are short-sighted and might ruin the sense of community in smaller college houses.

"I think what they are trying to do ... isn't going to work at Penn," Stouffer House Dean Michele Grab said. "Every house is really, really different, and I think that needs to be taken into account."

They added that the proposal ignores the effect on the student makeup in their college houses.

"The proposal seems to house everyone in the Quad, and the damage caused to other houses is incidental," Gregory College House Dean Chris Donovan said. "We are all very worried about it."

The UA Steering Committee's recommendations were based on about 1,600 responses to a UA survey. Approximately two thirds of respondents favored freshman-centered housing.

The committee presented the suggestions to college house officials last week. UA Chairwoman and College senior Rachel Fersh said that those presenting expected that the administrators would pass along the recommendations to various house deans and faculty masters.

UA Vice Chairman Zack Rosenblum, a College senior, said that the diversity of groups presenting and the number of respondents to the UA survey legitimized the proposal.

"It's not our objective to have every incoming freshman live in a freshman-concentrated house," Rosenblum said. "Our objective is simply to give all freshmen the opportunity to live in that type of environment if they so choose."

-- Staff writer Beth Sussman contributed to this report.

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